US aircraft are continuing to prepare the ISIS-held stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, for a siege by US-backed rebels, despite continued tensions between those rebels and Turkey. Aircraft from the US-led coalition conducted 12 strikes in Syria, hitting ISIS targets in Raqqa and multiple other cities in the region. Meanwhile, six strikes hit Mosul and two other villages in Iraq, according to US Central Command. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a coalition airstrike in a village north of Raqqa killed at least 20 civilians, though US officials said it did not have enough information to determine if that was possible, according to the BBC. Meanwhile, US-backed Kurdish rebels and Turkey are at odds about the fight to reclaim the city. Turkey said US-backed and Kurdish forces should only encircle Raqqa while Turkish fighters take the city, a suggestion Kurdish fighters dismissed, The Associated Press reported. Turkish fighters have clashed with Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes Kurdish fighters.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…